How do you handpiece your blocks.

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Okay, I am willing to learn how to handpiece when I have more time down the road to do this. I took a hand quilting course but could never find a piecing or the timing was always off. So how do you handpiece sew your blocks? Be as detailed as you need to be :) Share hints, tips, and tricks even here.

Yeah I know people who machine piece lol and handquilt. I'm like what the?? ROFL. Yet they are anxious when a quilt is handtied they given away as a gift. The one client of mine Does anyone handpiece anymore out there lol?

carey, when you are starting hand piecing, you need to draw the 1/4 inch lines on one piece that you are stitching together. draw it on the wrong side of the fabric so you can follow it. knot your thread, put your two pieces together and do a small running stitch. i make a tiny backstitch at the beginning. i make a back stitch every 3-5 stitches. don't sew any seams down. when you get to a seam, pass your needle through it at the seam level and continue stitching. do a tiny back stitch ot the end of your stitching and knot your fabric. i do a lingerie knot. i run the tail of the thread into the seam allowance about 1/2 inch and cut it off flush with the fabric. i love hand piecing. it is relaxing at the end of the day when we are sitting infront of the tv. i also like to do it on long car trips.

your beginning stitching does not have to be knotted. pull your thread into the fabric and leave a 1/2 inch tail. hold that tail along the stitch line. take a stitch, then one tiny back stitch, making sure to weave the needle above and below the tail, as you stitch, to secure it in the seam. another tiny back stitch near the end of the tail, catching it in the stitching if you can. a teensy tug to hold the stitches and off you go on your seam.

for me, hand piecing is way more accurate than machine piecing. i can get the fabric to do just what i want it to. sometimes the machine has opinions that differ from mine on how i want the fabric to match.

Gini states "for me, hand piecing is way more accurate than machine piecing." I strongly agree with her. It is also far more flexible for set in seams, hexagon blocks and the like. I was a machine piecer for over 15 years before I even gave hand piecing a thought. Now I only machine piece boring ( long straight line) parts and hand piece the rest. I am finally on a fun quilting adventure and no longer set any deadlines. I am just piecing for the fun of it.. With hand piecing I find it so much easier to do patterns with quite small pieces that I would never dream of doing by machine.

carey, when you are starting hand piecing, you need to draw the 1/4 inch lines on one piece that you are stitching together. draw it on the wrong side of the fabric so you can follow it. knot your thread, put your two pieces together and do a small running stitch. i make a tiny backstitch at the beginning. i make a back stitch every 3-5 stitches. don't sew any seams down. when you get to a seam, pass your needle through it at the seam level and continue stitching. do a tiny back stitch ot the end of your stitching and knot your fabric. i do a lingerie knot. i run the tail of the thread into the seam allowance about 1/2 inch and cut it off flush with the fabric. i love hand piecing. it is relaxing at the end of the day when we are sitting infront of the tv. i also like to do it on long car trips.

your beginning stitching does not have to be knotted. pull your thread into the fabric and leave a 1/2 inch tail. hold that tail along the stitch line. take a stitch, then one tiny back stitch, making sure to weave the needle above and below the tail, as you stitch, to secure it in the seam. another tiny back stitch near the end of the tail, catching it in the stitching if you can. a teensy tug to hold the stitches and off you go on your seam.

Carey,

I love hand stiching and I am so much more accurate with this method. I do the hand stitching the way Gini described as well.

Thanks granny, I never thought of that but nor have I ventured to do any hexagons or like as feared they were to hard to do. I think if I ever do those I might try hand at that time sometime in near future especially with stars.

A few years ago a started a small quilt that I handstitch. I didn't think my stitches were even enough so I set it aside. Maybe now is the time to bring it back out and do it over again. I think my work is better now.... if I say so myself. lol

Carey, I do do some hand piecing quilts - and what i do is draw around the templates and then I sew on that line - I do cross stitches on the corners because with most of the hand piecing that I do I do not stitch all the way to the edge... When I start I do not knot my threads - I start going the wrong direction and sew about 3 stitches - then I turn my pieces the opposite direction and sew again across those 3 stitches - this locks the stitches in place and does not leave a bump where the knot would be.

When I hand stitch it gives me so much peace... I did my Lone Star quilt all hand pieced... it was years ago though - I haven't done any hand pieced quilts in a few years - but still do some embroidery blocks...

There are several great teachers for hand piecers - Linda Franz is one of my favorites along with Jenny Beyers... both have many instructional books and videos - I have Linda Franz's something table - wish my brain wasn't having a senior moment - but it is very good... a video and book.

Hand piecing has also opened my mind to applique. I am working on my second Dresden Plate throw this year. I have to get the first one quilted before I finish piecing the second one. In between the plates I am appliqueing leaf blocks.